The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio

by Giovanni Boccaccio

  _Day the Ninth_

  HERE BEGINNETH THE NINTH DAY OF THE DECAMERON WHEREIN UNDER THE GOVERNANCE OF EMILIA EACH DISCOURSETH ACCORDING AS IT PLEASETH HIM AND OF THAT WHICH IS MOST TO HIS LIKING

  The light, from whose resplendence the night fleeth, had alreadychanged all the eighth heaven[423] from azure to watchet-colour[424]and the flowerets began to lift their heads along the meads, whenEmilia, uprising, let call the ladies her comrades and on like wisethe young men, who, being come, fared forth, ensuing the slow steps ofthe queen, and betook themselves to a coppice but little distant fromthe palace. Therein entering, they saw the animals, wild goats anddeer and others, as if assured of security from the hunters by reasonof the prevailing pestilence, stand awaiting them no otherwise than asthey were grown without fear or tame, and diverted themselves awhilewith them, drawing near, now to this one and now to that, as if theywould fain lay hands on them, and making them run and skip. But, thesun now waxing high, they deemed it well to turn back. They were allgarlanded with oak leaves, with their hands full of flowers andsweet-scented herbs, and whoso encountered them had said no otherwhatthan "Or these shall not be overcome of death or it will slay themmerry." On this wise, then, they fared on, step by step, singing andchatting and laughing, till they came to the palace, where they foundeverything orderly disposed and their servants full of mirth andjoyous cheer. There having rested awhile, they went not to dinner tillhalf a dozen canzonets, each merrier than other, had been carolled bythe young men and the ladies; then, water being given to their hands,the seneschal seated them all at table, according to the queen'spleasure, and the viands being brought, they all ate blithely. Risingthence, they gave themselves awhile to dancing and music-making, andafter, by the queen's commandment, whoso would betook himself to rest.But presently, the wonted hour being come, all in the accustomed placeassembled to discourse, whereupon the queen, looking at Filomena, badeher give commencement to the stories of that day, and she, smiling,began on this wise:

  [Footnote 423: According to the Ptolemaic system, the earth isencompassed by eight celestial zones or heavens; the first or highest,above which is the empyrean, (otherwise called the ninth heaven,) isthat of the Moon, the second that of Mercury, the third that of Venus,the fourth that of the Sun, the fifth that of Mars, the sixth that ofJupiter, the seventh that of Saturn and the eighth or lowest that ofthe fixed stars and of the Earth.]

  [Footnote 424: _D'azzurrino in color cilestro._ This is one of themany passages in which Boccaccio has imitated Dante (cf. Purgatorio,c. xxvi. II. 4-6, "... il sole.... Che gia, raggiando, tuttol'occidente Mutava in bianco aspetto di cilestro,") and also one ofthe innumerable instances in which former translators (who all agreein making the advent of the light change the colour of the sky fromazure to a darker colour, instead of, as Boccaccio intended, towatchet, _i.e._ a paler or greyish blue,) have misrendered the text,for sheer ignorance of the author's meaning.]